My name is Alex Rolland. When I was a toddler, I watched my parents get murdered by a man in a hood. I was then kidnapped and smuggled to the USSR, where I was made into someone else … into something else. Now I am back to Nigeria to avenge all those who have suffered, like me, at the hands of cruel, corrupt politicians. I am … The Nivenger!

Episode One

Alex Rolland managed to make to the parking lot of the nightclub. The ground was carpeted with a thin layer of granite, and he fled across the dark lot with the silence of a rustling tree. However, he wasn’t up against your normal foes. He was up against highly trained assassins like him—maybe even more than him.

Alex Rolland headed for the fence, where his black Rolls Royce was parked. Yes, some of those loots Lexie Whitehall had siphoned for their purposes had gone into giving them a little amount of luxury. They might as well live their life to the full, while they put their lives on the line for the great cause of avenging their nation.

Alex Rolland never made it to his black vehicle. He was about thirty yards away, reaching for the keys in his pocket when out of nowhere, Charybdis landed in the lot ahead of him. She had a crossbow aimed at him, which caused Alex to stop in his tracks. Charybdis was a towering lady with a high cheekbone and very rough, very rugged features. She was dressed in a black outfit that was as $3xy as it was deadly. There were no weapons visible on her, but Alex knew that she was more armed than a heavy duty army operative.

“It’s over, Alex Rolland,” spat the woman.

Alex was about to say something, but then he heard someone land behind him. He craned his head to see Scylla. The man was as handsome as he remembered. His short cropped blonde hair was dulled by the dimness of the parking lot. He had a long blade in his hand, and a holstered weapon hanging loosely by his right side. He wore an open jacket over a gray polo shirt. He looked under dressed, but Alex knew that this man was as well able to destroy a three hundred man strong army unit as he was.

Scylla wasn’t looking at Alex yet. He was looking ahead to his sister. “Hello, sister,” he said with a toothy smile.

Charybdis smiled back, maybe a little too broadly. “Hello, brother. What do you say we kill this guy and get the heck out of this backwater country, heh?”

Then Scylla looked at Alex. Alex had drawn to full height. He was keeping his hand in full sight so they didn’t get twitchy fingers and shoot him without provocation. Alex knew he was running out of time. He couldn’t run away. He couldn’t hide. And he couldn’t fight them without any of his weapons. He had to get to his car where he had his suit. He had to play for more time.

“Hello, Alex,” Scylla said, addressing Alex for the first time.

“Hello, Scylla,” said Alex. “So you are the bogeyman?”

Scylla cocked his head backwards and laughed hard. Then he fell silent and said, “No, Alex. I am not the bogeyman. I am the one you call the kill the bogeyman.”

“So, that’s it, eh?” said Alex, his mind running through several scenarios, all of which seemed to lead to him dead with an arrow in his heart. “The Cabal sees me as the bogey man?”

Scylla smirked. “Well, you are wrecking severe damage to their operations. And you need to be put down. This is why we are here.”

Alex relaxed. Not because he was actually relaxed, but because he wanted them to relax too. He was playing for psychological warfare. He said offhandedly, “So, this has nothing to do with our last meeting in Casablanca?”

Scylla’s face turned red. He lifted up his sword and said, “I will run you through!”

Alex smiled. “So you do admit you failed in your mission?” He looked away from Scylla, which was a calculated risk. He needed to taunt Charybdis as well. She glared at him the moment their eyes met. “I remember sparing your life…”

She gripped her crossbow tighter. “Tread carefully…”

Alex shrugged. “Why? You’re all still going to try and kill me, so we might as well get our shared past out in the open. I remember you both failing in your mission. Frankly, I am surprised you’re still alive. Your employers must have been pissed. How did you get out of that one?”

Charybdis was already fuming. Alex looked at Scylla. Scylla was just about to lose it. Alex thought to himself, now that you have them all riled up. What next?

Alex didn’t have to think too much longer before the Calvary arrived. All around, hooded figures began to rappel down into the parking lot. It happened so fast that neither one of the trio was able to move a muscle until it was over. In the space of ten seconds, they were surrounded by about thirty hooded assassins all possessing bows and arrows with swords latched to their back. The bows were drawn and the arrows aimed at Scylla and Charybdis. Out of the midst of the assassins came a woman dressed in red and wielding two long swords.

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Writing has always been my passion. When I was twelve, while my mates still flipped through picture books and comics, I took an interest in thick-sized, picture-less “story books” that opened me up to a whole new world of possibilities and adventures. However, I did not publish my first book until my second year in Pharmacy School when I’d usually learn about drugs in the day and write fiction in the night. I love writing because I relish the power it gives to create a world of my own where anything and everything is possible. I guess this explains my proclivity for the fantastical.